


What Music Expresses

by Sportscandycollective



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Hallucinations, M/M, Magic, Music, Repression, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-17 18:58:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9338591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sportscandycollective/pseuds/Sportscandycollective
Summary: When Robbie hasn't been seen for a while, Sportacus starts hearing music in his head.NOTICE: PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY WORK ONTO OTHER WEBSITES.





	1. Crescendo

It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for Robbie to disappear for long periods of time.

Or at the least, disappear in the sense that he wasn’t out and about, attempting to mess with the kids’ games or employ another plot to enforce laziness in the town. Usually after another failed scheme to drive Sportacus out of town, or trick the kids into being less active and eat junk food, he’d take several days to recuperate, nurse his wounds, before returning a few days later with yet another ploy. It became assumed that this was how Robbie operated; even Sportacus came to expect this pattern of behavior from the villain.

So, at first, nothing seemed off about Robbie not being seen for several days in a row. He’d recently attempted to ruin the kids’ camping trip with a storm generator, only for the generator to go berserk and nearly destroy the town with a high-class hurricane. Before he was swept up by the winds, Sportacus arrived to save the day as usual, swooping up Robbie and managing to switch off the generator. The kids chastised Robbie once again, and he seemed to skulk back to his lair, dejectedly pulling his ruined storm machine behind him.

This, however, was nearly a week ago. And Sportacus was starting to grow worried. Leaping onto a retaining wall, Sportacus scanned the park, looking for the sight of Robbie’s periscope, or perhaps the man himself sneaking around, spying on the kids playing their games. Nothing. He frowned, his brow furrowed in concern. Things had been very quiet. Other than the occasional near collision or one of the kids almost falling out of a tree, Sportacus hadn’t had much to do lately. No out of control robots, no strange afflictions befalling all the sportscandy in town, no mysterious leader figures popping out of nowhere to lead the kids to a more slothful lifestyle. Things had been slow, which wasn’t a comforting fact for Sportacus.

With his attention so fixated on trying to find any sign of Robbie, Sportacus completely failed to detect Ms. Busybody walking and humming behind him.  
“Well, hello Sportacus!” she said cheerily.  
Sportacus nearly jumped. Gathering himself, he turned and gave Bessie a polite smile.  
“Hello Ms. Busybody!” he said.  
“Keeping an eye on the town, are you? It’s good to have someone like you to make sure things stay peaceful here.” She commented.  
Sportacus gave a slight nod. “Yes, need to make sure that the town is safe.” His smile faded slightly. “Though, if I am to be honest, I’m actually looking for someone.” He admitted.  
Ms. Busybody nodded. “Looking for Robbie?”  
“It’s been a week, Ms. Busybody. I have to make sure he’s okay.” Sportacus said.  
“Sweetie, I know you mean well but…well Robbie has always been, how do I say this…difficult?” Ms. Busybody responded, giving Sportacus a sympathetic look. “He’s someone who has always valued his privacy. Perhaps he just needs some time to himself?”  
Sportacus sighed. “But it’s been a week. There must be something wrong, and I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”  
  
Ms. Busybody gently patted Sportacus’s back. “Sportacus, dear, I know how much you care about Robbie.” Sportacus’s cheeks turned a faint shade of pink, his eyes widening slightly. “But you may want to consider that, perhaps, charging in on Robbie might not be the best plan. You may have good intentions, but since he’s such a more private person, he might close himself off more.” She sighed quietly. “You should do what you believe is right, in the end, but Robbie’s not like the kids. He might not take well to…well, you understand.”  
Sportacus’s eyes turned downwards, his expression growing sullener. He nodded slowly. He gave Ms. Busybody a slight smile. “Thank you, Ms. Busybody. I’ll definitely think about it.”  
Ms. Busybody nodded, smiling and waving before going on her way.

As soon as Ms. Busybody was out of sight, Sportacus did his signature move and flipped his way towards the pipe entrance of Robbie’s base. In only a few minutes, the large billboard that blocked the way to the entrance was in sight. Landing from one last front flip, Sportacus sprinted towards the pipe. Before he could reach for the hatch, however, Sportacus stopped. Ms. Busybody’s words floated through his mind.  
“ _Robbie’s not like the kids. He’s a more private person. He may just need more time on his own._ ”  
Sportacus bit his lip, the hatch entrance within arm’s reach. His eyes ran back and forth, from the pipe, to the town, to back to the pipe. His usual, hero instinct told him to rip the top of the hatch off and barrel down the steel ladder, ready to aid Robbie in whatever was going on.  
But if Ms. Busybody was right, then that choice of actions would only worsen the situation. He thought back to each instance where he’d charged over to help Robbie, whether it’d be after another of his failed plans or just when he was sitting around town, looking a little glum. He would try each time to be cordial, sympathetic, and open. But each time, Robbie would shoot him down with some snide remark, or a disdainful assertion of how little interest he had in befriending the sports elf.

_“Why don’t you just leave me be, Sportadork? I don’t want your friendship, and I certainly don’t need your…pitying!” he’d sneer each time._  
_“I’m not pitying you, Robbie! I just want to help you!” Sportacus would state, his optimism unwavering._  
_Robbie would then get up, turning away on his heel. “If you so desperately want to help me, then help me retain my sanity by leaving me ALONE.” He’d growl, before walking away towards his lair._

This had happened so many times before; Sportacus wondered how he’d never figured out why Robbie would react this way. He’d assume that it was simply because Robbie was stubborn, that he was so set in being a villain that he wouldn’t accept help even when he needed it. He never considered that, perhaps, Robbie just couldn’t be helped the same way as the kids could.  
“ _Maybe it’s best if I just leave him be right now._ ” Sportacus thought to himself.  
  
The idea sat poorly with Sportacus. Every inch of his being was protesting this action, every alarm in his head yelling at him to go and find Robbie, make sure he was alright.  
But the last thing Sportacus wanted to do was hurt Robbie more. As a hero, it was his job to fix problems, not make them worse.  
As Sportacus backed away from the pipe, he couldn’t help but feel unhappy and uneasy. This wasn’t like him. He would never just not help someone, especially if they were in need. It was such an alien idea: to help someone, he had to do nothing.  
It didn’t help that he cared about Robbie to the extent that he did, beyond just as a worried friend. Over time, Sportacus found himself kindling an attraction to the villain, one that blossomed into a full-blown crush. He couldn’t help himself from admiring his dedication, even if it was to a cause like laziness, as well as his ingenuity and, while Robbie himself wouldn’t admit it, how much his plots and schemes really benefited the town. It made life more interesting, more exciting. And Sportacus couldn’t help but find himself growing more fond of Robbie.  
So to leave someone that he cared about and had become attracted to alone, while they were potentially in need of help, was like a thorn being driven into Sportacus’s heart. Slowly, he turned away, walking back towards the town.  
“ _I only hope this is what Robbie truly needs. Hopefully he’ll be back to his usual self soon._ ” He thought sorrowfully. Trying to lift his spirits, Sportacus flipped and spun his way back into town.

\--

Two days passed, and Sportacus tried to continue as normal. He had tried to keep his concern at bay, keeping focused on his daily duties to LazyTown and its inhabitants. Leaping out of bed, Sportacus began his morning routine, preparing breakfast and doing his morning warm-ups. As he took a few small bites out of a slice of melon, his crystal began to glow and beep.  
“Someone’s in trouble!” he stated. After doing his signature move, Sportacus bolted towards the door, jumping out of his airship towards the ground below.  
Landing on the concrete sidewalk, Sportacus bolted towards the sound of screaming and crying. His eyes darted up to the rooftop of Ziggy’s home, where Ziggy hung precariously from the ledge.  
“Help! Someone help me!” he cried, looking about wildly for any sign of help.  
“I’m coming, Ziggy!” Sportacus yelled, doing his signature move. Flipping over to the little, squat house, Sportacus held his arms out wide, catching Ziggy in just the nick of time as his grip failed and he plummeted towards the ground.  
With a chuckle, Sportacus gave Ziggy a concerned smile. “Are you okay, Ziggy?”  
Ziggy, panting as he came down from the adrenaline rush, looked up to Sportacus with a wide smile. “I am now, thanks to you Sportacus!”  
Sportacus gently let Ziggy down onto the ground. Leaning down to his level, Sportacus asked, “Why were you on the roof?”  
Ziggy looked at Sportacus sheepishly. “Well, I had heard about these cool daredevils that are performing a few towns away! They sounded so cool and fearless and I wanted to be just like them! So I, uh, attempted to jump off the roof with my skateboard.” He laughed awkwardly. “Guess that wasn’t such a great idea, huh?”  
Sportacus gave a quiet laugh, shaking his head with a smile. “You need to be more careful, Ziggy! Those guys risk their lives each time they perform. Maybe you should aim to be something less dangerous. You can still have fun outside without risking your life!”  
Ziggy nodded. “You’re right, Sportacus! Thank you and I’ll try to be more careful now!”

Stephanie, hearing all the commotion, ran over towards Ziggy’s house.  
“Hey Ziggy! Hey Sportacus! Is everything okay?” she asked.  
Ziggy excitedly nodded. “Yeah! I was trying to do this really cool stunt, and almost fell off the roof! But Sportacus came running, zooming in! And he saved me! It was SO cool!”  
Stephanie laughed. She gave them both a smile. “I just wanted to come over and ask if you’d like to play some soccer!” She looked at Sportacus. “You should play too! We need a third person on one team!”  
Sportacus grinned. “I’d love to play!” he responded.  
Stephanie gestured to the park. “Then let’s go! Everyone’s already over there and waiting!”  
The three speedily jogged towards the sports field, where the other three kids were idling about. Pixel stood attentively in front of the soccer net, waiting for one of the other kids to kick a practice shot towards him. Stingy and Trixie, meanwhile, were arguing over who had the right to the first practice kick.  
“Come on, Stingy! I was here first! Besides, you got the first practice kick last time!” Trixie protested.  
Stingy shook his head. “Well this ball belongs to ME, so I don’t see how that matters! It’s MY ball, so I should be the only one to kick it!” He turned his head away, ball in hands, his nose upturned to the sky.  
Pixel simply sighed, waiting impatiently in front of the net. “Will one of you two PLEASE kick the ball? Otherwise no one will get to practice!”  
The other three ran in, Stephanie excitedly getting the other kids’ attention. “Hey guys! I got Ziggy and Sportacus to play, so we have an even set of three per team!”  
“Oh perfect! Now we just need to get Stingy here to share the ball, then we can start!” Trixie said, giving a mean look to Stingy.  
Sportacus walked over, gently extending a hand to Stingy. “Stingy, may we please use the soccer ball? We can’t play unless all of us get a chance to kick it.”  
Stingy audibly protested, looking back and forth from the ball to his friends. He finally relented. “All right, but I get it back once we’re done!”  
Sportacus shook his head, laughing. “It’s a deal.”

The group quickly divided themselves into two teams, with Stephanie’s team comprising of Pixel and Stingy, while Sportacus’s team had Trixie and Ziggy. With Pixel and Ziggy as goalies, the game began. Stephanie speedily took control of the ball, kicking and batting it towards the other goal, Trixie and Sportacus running up beside her. Sportacus took command over blocking Stingy’s assistance, as Trixie went to get the ball from Stephanie.  
“I’m gonna get that ball, Pinky!” Trixie grinned.  
Giving a determined look, Stephanie swept past Trixie. “Not today! Keep going!”  
Ziggy, his face fixed in attention, squatted in front of the goal, ready to block an incoming ball.  
Stephanie charged towards the goal, her eyes on the prize, before feeling the ball leave her possession. Trixie had kicked the ball out of her reach, right towards Sportacus.  
“Got it!” he stated happily, kicking the ball up and juggling it between his ankles. Letting the ball down, he briskly made his way towards Pixel, lining up the ball to make a point-winning shot.  
“Go for it, Sportacus! You’ve got this!” Trixie cheered, making her way over to the other goal, ready to assist her teammate.  
“Stingy! Quick! You can block Sportacus’s shot!” advised Stephanie.  
“R-Right! On my way!” Stingy nodded, panting as he ran towards the speedy blue elf.  
Sportacus, a determined smile on his face, prepared to kick the ball straight at the goal.  
“Get ready, Pixel!” he warned, gearing up his leg to crush the ball for the point.  
Pixel, arms open and ready, nodded. “Give it all you got, Sportacus! I can block it!” he boasted.  
With a smile, Sportacus nodded. “Alright, here we go!”  
The shot lined up perfectly, Sportacus charged ahead, preparing to give his kick all he got. He reared up, his leg mere inches away from contact with the black and white checkered ball…

…when he froze. The world seemed to shift slightly out of balance, the colors simultaneously dulling yet becoming too intense. Sportacus could feel himself grow overwhelmed, the cheers and cries of the children so far away, yet so near, all together though too loud. It was like he was hearing their voices underwater. He stopped, looking around at his surroundings. The shifted elements of his surroundings confused and overloaded his senses; it was all too much.  
At the same time, he could feel a strange pit grow in his chest. It ached and weighed a ton, dragging his entire consciousness with him. A wave of despair and nervousness washed over him, as he suddenly felt sadder than he had in his life. Jabbing at his heart and brain were repeating thoughts of hopelessness and loneliness, ones that seemed to prod him towards one conclusion: nothing was going to get better.

While this was all happening, Sportacus swore he could hear the faintest sound of a lone piano. The tune rang through his ears, an unfamiliar song that was the saddest melody he’d ever heard. As it rose into a crescendo, Sportacus could feel the digging and stabbing thoughts and emotions grow stronger, threatening to overwhelm and immerse him in melancholy. His breathing became panicked and shallow, as he looked around, trying to find the source of the song, as he grew more despondent. His body felt heavy, and his mind was swimming in destructive thoughts. He felt like he was boxed into a cage, and there was no possible way out.

His trance was finally broken as a sound pierced through his mind.

“Sportacus! What’s going on? Are you okay??”  
Sportacus blinked, suddenly remembering where he was. He looked down to see the semi-distinct form of Stephanie, looking up at him with concern in her eyes.  
“Yeah, Sportacus! What’s up? Stingy just took the ball from you and scored a goal! It’s like you froze or something!” Trixie said as she ran over, stopping as she looked up at Sportacus’s face.  
“I…did?” Sportacus asked quietly.  
“Sportacus, is everything okay? You’re crying…” Stephanie said softly, her face dropping with concern and sympathetic sadness.  
Suddenly, Sportacus realized why the children seemed so blurry. Tears had been cascading down his face, gushing in near waterfalls. Rubbing at his eyes with his wrists, he tried to clear his eyes and stop the tears, only for more to run down his cheeks.  
The kids ran to Sportacus, their faces a mix of worry and confusion. They’d rarely seen Sportacus look anything other than cheerful, so to see him just out and cry like this was unheard of.  
Taking a deep breath, Sportacus finally answered. “I-I don’t know. I’m sorry, I just felt a little off there.” Clearing his throat, his eyes finally cleared from the tears, he stood tall. “I’m ready, let’s get ready for the next match!”  
The kids, unconvinced and still worried, only nodded slowly and resumed their positions.

With a shake of his head, Sportacus tried to focus once more on the game. The ball was put in play and Trixie managed to get ahold of it right away. Kicking it away from Stephanie, she passed it to Sportacus, running several feet down the field.  
Sportacus kicked it about, playfully and gently trying to keep it from Stephanie and Stingy. He, of course, could probably easily kick the ball straight at the goal now and earn his team some points. But he knew that they were just kids, and wanted to play fair and not use his greater strength and agility to exceed their playing skills.  
Jogging down the field, Sportacus passed the ball to Trixie. With a mischievous smirk, she kicked the ball slightly out of her reach, thwarting Stingy’s attempt to get the ball away. A quick dash to the side let Trixie keep the ball under her control, before swiftly kicking it back to Sportacus.  
“You got it Sportacus! You’ve got a clear shot! Go for it!” Trixie yelled.  
Sportacus gave her a smile and a nod, focusing hard on the soccer net in front of him.  
“You can’t get past me, Sportacus! I’ve been practicing!” Pixel proudly said, his hands at the ready in front of him.  
With a deep breath, Sportacus prepared to kick the ball. His attention waivered, for a second, as he heard the music once again in his head. He looked up and about, trying to find where it was coming from. Deciding to try and ignore it, Sportacus steeled his focus and wound up his leg to, once again, kick the ball at the goal. His aim was perfect, and Pixel’s attention had been temporarily distracted by another argument between Trixie and Stingy. This shot was in the bag.

Or at least it would’ve been. But just as his foot was about to connect with the ball, the sound of a discordant and ear-bleeding chord echoed in Sportacus’s head. In that moment, Sportacus felt a mixture of surprise (from the sudden and loud chord), self-directed rage, exasperation, and once again, misery. It all hit him like a truck; Sportacus’s breath hitched and for a second it was like he was viewing the world through a cracked piece of glass. Before he could even begin to recollect himself, to process the sudden tsunami of intense emotion that had swallowed him, Sportacus crushed the soccer ball up and over the goal, high into the sky.  
The kids stopped dead in their tracks, mouths open and faces gawking as they watched the ball vanish into the bright blue sky. Pixel stepped out from the goal, his head turned up to the sky.  
“Woah, Sportacus! You kicked the ball super hard!” Ziggy said, his expression both surprised and impressed.  
Trixie looked less impressed and more worried. “But where is that ball going to land??”  
The kids’ faces paled. Quickly they took off running frantically towards where the ball had roughly gone. Stephanie was the only one to stop a second, turning on her heel to see more tears roll down Sportacus’s face. His gaze was distant, almost like he wasn’t really here in the moment. Stephanie frowned, her brow furrowed with worry. She walked up and gently tugged on Sportacus’s bracer.  
Clarity returned to Sportacus’s face, and he looked down to Stephanie, trying to quickly smudge away the fresh tears from his face, even though he knew that Stephanie had most likely already seen them.  
“Sportacus, are you SURE everything’s okay?” Stephanie asked more firmly.  
Sportacus gave her a weak smile. “I-I’m sure, Stephanie.”  
Stephanie frowned, shaking her head. “Then let’s go catch up with the others.”  
Sportacus only nodded, confused as to where they were going. All he could was follow closely behind Stephanie as they ran across the town, looking for where their friends could have gone.

\--

As Stephanie and Sportacus drew closer, they halted to take in the scene. The kids were gawking and murmuring to each other, surrounding Ms. Busybody’s usually pristine yard. Ms. Busybody herself was standing in front of her window, angrily and fearfully examining the damage. The window had been completely shattered, bits of broken glass now littering her window seat. Her dining table’s settings and decorations were destroyed, with pieces of terra cotta that had once been a flowerpot spinning idly on the wooden tabletop. Soil was spread across the table and the floor, with stray flower stems and petals all over the place. In the middle of this complete mess was the soccer ball, sitting pretty as a picture on top of a large pile of soil.  
“My window! My dining room! Everything’s been destroyed!” Ms. Busybody whined, still trying to take in the destruction in front of her.  
The kids turned to look at Sportacus and Stephanie. Stephanie, in turn, turned to give Sportacus a frustrated look.  
Sportacus, meanwhile, looked in disbelief at all the damage in front of him. “What happened here?” he asked quietly.  
Stephanie’s expression turned to disbelief as well. “How could you not know? You kicked that soccer ball over the net and broke Bessie’s window!”  
“Yeah Sportacus, why’d you kick it so hard?” asked Ziggy.  
Sportacus just shook his head. He felt relieved in that moment that the music seemed to stop. “I’m really sorry, Ms. Busybody. I guess I just let my strength get away from me.” He said apologetically.  
Ms. Busybody sighed. “Well, you can start making this up by helping me clean up this mess!”  
Sportacus nodded and he followed Ms. Busybody inside, the children deciding to follow as well to help Sportacus with everything.

After the group had spent their time sweeping up shards of broken glass and stray streaks of dirt, cleaning up the broken flower pot and remnants of flowers, and setting up plans to help Ms. Busybody pay for the replacement glass, they made their way out and back towards the park.  
Suddenly, Stephanie stopped. “All right Sportacus, I know that there’s something up.” She said, looking Sportacus right in the eyes.  
Sportacus felt nervous. He gave Stephanie a weakly reassuring smile. “I’m fine Stephanie. Really, I’ll be okay.”  
Stephanie shook her head, sighing in exasperation. “No, you’re obviously not okay! Twice during our game you seemed to get, I don’t know, lost in the clouds. You were crying both times, and when we asked you about it, you said you didn’t remember anything.”  
The kids thought for a moment, before Pixel gasped.  
“Wait! We haven’t seen Robbie in a while. Maybe HE did it?” he suggested.  
The kids turned with questioning looks and gasps towards Pixel.  
Pixel nodded. “I mean it’s possible! We’ve seen him mess with Sportacus’s memory before, maybe he’d done something to him again!”  
“Pixel might be right! Quick, we should find Robbie and make him fix Sportacus right now!” Trixie stated determinedly. The kids nodded and loudly agreed.  
Sportacus, his eyes widening with worry, speedily stepped in front of the kids. “I really don’t think Robbie is responsible for this. We shouldn’t bother him right now.”  
“Then what is your deal, Sportacus?? If it’s not Robbie, then what’s going on?” Stingy asked.  
Sportacus bit his lip. “I’m…not sure. It’s like all this emotion is making me feel a little out of it.”  
“Have you had lunch? Maybe you’re hungry?” suggested Stephanie.  
The kids agreed, partially because they also hadn’t had lunch yet and were getting hungry themselves.  
Sportacus shrugged. “Not really, but I – “  
“Well let’s go eat some lunch! You might feel better after that!” Ziggy said cheerily.  
The kids tugged Sportacus with them towards the mayor’s house.

Laying out plates of sandwiches and fruit, the group descended upon the bounty like a starved collection of wolves. Sportacus, not feeling as hungry, politely took one small apple and took small, slow bites from it. He couldn’t help but be distracted with trying to think of what had caused his strange little meltdowns earlier. All he remembered was the faint sound of a piano, and in the last crash of emotions, a loud discordant chord. Usually, while Sportacus absolutely loved music and would often listen to some as he travelled across the world, he wasn’t the type to get caught up in emotional songs. He could acknowledge them as sad, but wouldn’t be reduced to a crying mess from a particularly sad song. Probably why he preferred happier, upbeat dance songs.  
As he sat there eating his lunch, he listened for the sound of a piano playing, but heard nothing. All he could hear was the ambient sounds of birds and bees outside, combined with the noisy raucous of the kids chatting and munching on their sandwiches.  
Stephanie wiped her mouth with a napkin, looking expectantly towards Sportacus. “Did that help? Do you feel any better?”  
Sportacus was about to answer, but then heard the sounds of a piano once more. He looked around, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Do any of you hear a piano?” he asked.  
The kids looked concerned as they listened closely.  
Ziggy shook his head. “I don’t hear anything, Sportacus.”  
Sportacus frowned, nodding slowly.  
Stephanie sighed. “I’m guessing it didn’t help, then?”  
Sportacus stood up slowly, giving the kids a smile. “I’ll be okay! Thank you for lunch, I do feel a little better after that.” He feigned shock, looking towards the window. “I hear someone’s in trouble!”  
Trixie looked confused. “But your crystal doesn’t look like it’s glowing…”  
Sportacus did his signature move, bolting towards the door. “I’ll see you guys, later!”  
Stephanie sprinted after him, grabbing Sportacus by the wrist as he ran out onto the lawn. “Sportacus, please. I really think there’s something off with you. Maybe you should rest?”  
Sportacus gave Stephanie a faint smile. He could hear the piano once more, but he ignored it long enough to give Stephanie a reassuring response. “I’ll be okay for now, Stephanie. But if it'll help you feel better, I’ll make sure to go to bed early tonight.”  
Stephanie sighed, smiling weakly. “Okay, as long as you promise to do that. I hope you feel better, Sportacus.”  
Sportacus nodded. “I promise! Later Stephanie!” As he ran off, he thanked his lucky stars as he felt his crystal actually glow and beep, letting him know that the little kitten was in trouble once more. The sound of the piano and the emotions that accompanied it weighed him down, but he forced his way through it, flipping towards the tree.

\--

This was how Sportacus continued his day. Each time he heard the piano within his mind, he’d try and fight his way through the waves of emotions and sadness. It wasn’t easy, and multiple times he’d have to duck behind a corner, allowing himself to feel the emotional turbulence building within his chest and mind, trying to ignore the shifts and inconsistencies the world around him would take on each time. Eventually the music would fade once more, his view of the town would set itself right, and Sportacus could, while still feeling shaken up by each episode, go back to his usual routine.

This, however, resulted in Sportacus returning to his airship at the end of the day, completely emotionally and physically fatigued. His tired eyes turned up to the clock on his wall. It was barely past 7 pm. Yet he felt like he’d stayed up several days in a row. His mind had gone quiet for the time, and he felt about ready to pass out.  
“Bed!” he called.  
The bed flipped around the false wall, folding out with the duvet sweeping over the mattress.  
“Sportacus, it is not yet 8:08. Are you feeling alright?” the ship’s AI asked.  
Sportacus waved off the ship’s concern. “I’m just really tired, and I promised Stephanie I’d go to bed early tonight.”  
The airship seemed to comply, for as Sportacus crawled underneath the sheets and rested his head upon his pillow, the lights dimmed away and the ship went into sleep mode.  
Sportacus sighed, his eyelids feeling heavy and his body relaxing. He could feel the throughs of sleep overcome him as he closed his eyes.  
As soon as sleep began to wrap Sportacus within its warm embrace, however, Sportacus was ripped out of sleep by the sound of the piano music once more, this time louder than earlier. Or perhaps it was only louder since Sportacus was no longer distracted by other activities. Sportacus groaned, his mind filling once again with thoughts and negative emotions, ones that paradoxically kept him wrapped in a state of being too awake to sleep, yet too tired to do much of anything to get him asleep. He simply laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling as if the room was shrinking down upon him. It was like an elephant had sat upon Sportacus’s chest, but he had no wish to try and get it to kindly sit somewhere else.  
After some concerted effort, Sportacus sat up in his bed, holding his head in his hands tiredly. He could feel more tears fall from his eyes, leaving little blotches on his sheets. He shuddered as another wave of despair and hopelessness ran through his body.  
“Why am I crying? Why do I feel so…so sad?” he asked himself softly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.  
He stood up, slowly wandering around his ship. He hoped that perhaps he could distract himself somehow, but it was nearly impossible to stop the waves of melancholy that kept his mind flooded. Even if he could, he was too tired to try and force his way through this newest wave. He had fought all day; perhaps if he let this wave run its course, it’d stop on its own?

Three hours later, save for a few breaks in-between, Sportacus’s theory seemed to be proven wrong. He still stood there, awake and growing frustrated, the piano still playing in his mind. He groaned, running his hands through his hair. His hands shook slightly, his whole body both overenergized and loudly stating how exhausted it was. He sat himself down once more at the foot of his bed. He blinked, his watery eyes looking out at the night sky. Had he not been so tired and puzzled, he might’ve appreciated how beautiful the stars were that night, how they twinkled and glittered. At the minute, however, the stars only looked dulled and, dare he say, mocking with their beautiful glow and twinkling. He shook his head, looking down at his knees.  
It was in that moment that he, finally, realized that his crystal was glowing. Not the glowing and beeping that it usually did, when there was danger or trouble. No, it was glowing ever dimly, not a hint of sound other than a low hum emanated from it. Sportacus gently took the crystal out from its compartment, examining it. The crystal had turned an indigo color, every now and then sending a pulse of pale blue and purple light out, too faint to be seen by the human eye. It hummed gently in Sportacus’s hand.  
“ _This isn’t normal, what’s wrong with my crystal?_ ” he thought to himself. He rolled to little crystalline ball in his hand, watching it send another pulse wave of blue. He furrowed his brow, looking for any sign of a hex or curse someone might’ve placed upon his crystal. Taking a deep breath, Sportacus ran his other hand over the glowing ball. His magic was incredibly rusty, but he at least remembered enough to cast a detection spell over his sports crystal. The crystal glowed and flickered in response, a quiet sound much like windchimes rang through the ship as Sportacus smoothed the crystal with his hand.  
The spell completed, Sportacus lifted his other hand, sighing. He found nothing. No curses, hexes, incantations. Nothing. By all accounts, his crystal was perfectly normal.  
“Then why are you acting like this?” he asked it, holding it closer to his face. There was obviously some form of magic affecting how it worked, but it wasn’t a malicious magic, thankfully. But if it wasn’t dark magic, what was wrong with it?

A thought crossed Sportacus’s mind. What if someone, or something, was influencing the magic of his crystal? It was a rare form of magic, usually not used because of how much time and energy it took to keep a consistent and strong bond between magical users, and Sportacus had no clue who could cast such a spell. But it was worth looking for.  
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Sportacus cradled the crystal in his open palms, closing his eyes and taking another breath. He tried to clear his mind, whispering silent incantations and ancient words, focusing all his energy upon his crystal. A faint, pale white glow, encompassed his crystal, forming a bright white trail on the floor. Sportacus opened his eyes, seeing the magical “thread” flow across the floor and out the door.  
As Sportacus got up to follow the trail, however, he could see the line fade away. He rushed towards it, but was stopped by the piano growing louder, before another loud chord sent Sportacus tumbling to his feet. His crystal scattered across the floor, the white line vanishing in an instant. Shakily bringing himself onto his knees, Sportacus crawled over to his crystal, feverishly examining it. No cracks or signs of damage. He sighed.  
Gently, he placed the still-indigo colored crystal back in its holder. He considered trying to cast the spell again, but until the music within his mind stopped for long enough, he wouldn’t be able to keep the spell steady enough to follow the trail.

He realized he may need more sleep, but once again, the piano music was keeping him awake. He sat back at the foot of his bed, sighing tiredly.

The music continued until near the wee hours of the morning. Once the music finally faded away, giving way to silence, Sportacus fell backwards onto his mattress. He instantly fell into a deep sleep, not even noticing the sun starting to peek over the horizon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,  
> So I thought I'd let you know that life is starting to get pretty busy for me so updates and new stories may slow down for a while. Just wanted to let you guys know that this won't mean I'm dead! Just means I can't write as much as usual (which trust me, I'm upset about too). I'll definitely write a bunch once my life slows down a bit, but for the time being updates will probably slow down.
> 
> Thanks in advance for understanding and hope you enjoy this story!


	2. Mezzo-Forte

When Sportacus awoke, he barely realized that the sun was much higher than it usually was when he woke up. Due to his strict adherence to an 8:08 pm bedtime and an “at daybreak” waking schedule, he had never missed a sunrise. But today was definitely a different day, as Sportacus groggily woke up, his eyes glancing at the time on the wall. 1:17 pm. Sportacus had slept through the entire morning.  
Yawning loudly, Sportacus lifted himself up into a sitting position, blinking at the bright light streaming through the airship. He was surprised that the ship’s illumination cycle hadn’t woken him up at his usual wakeup time. Once his eyes adjusted, he noticed that the airmail tube was sitting at the edge of his bed, nearly hidden by the folds and wrinkles of his disturbed duvet. Judging by how about half of it was on the floor, Sportacus concluded that while he’d severely slept in, it was no peaceful night of sleep.  
Reaching over and grabbing the metal tube, Sportacus popped the top off, allowing the top to fall from his fingertips and roll across the floor, resting close to his sports equipment closet. He reached inside the tube, pulling out a white colored scroll. Unrolling it, he blinked once more to refocus his mind, glancing over the pink inked writing on the paper.

_“Sportacus,  
Please meet me at my house. I noticed you weren’t up today at your usual time and I’m worried. Please come as soon as you get this._

_-Stephanie”_

Sportacus looked up, his hands still grasping the letter. He cleared his mind, trying to see if he could hear the sounds of the piano playing. Nothing. But something told Sportacus it wouldn’t remain that way. Tossing off the duvet, Sportacus sprung from his bed, landing with a slight wobble as his fatigue messed with his equilibrium.  
“Door!” he called, the door opening up quickly. He charged out onto the platform, stopping as he approached the edge. He reconsidered doing his usual freefall from the ship; considering how tired he felt, he didn’t trust himself to be able to make a safe landing. “Skychaser!” he called again. The little pedal glider disconnected from the airship, gliding in a circle around the bottom of the ship. Sportacus leapt out, landing perfectly on the glider. He pedaled down to the town below, making a beeline towards Stephanie’s home.

Stephanie sat on the front stoop of her uncle’s house, her eyes focused on the sky above, looking for any sign of Sportacus’s airship. She twiddled her fingers, sighing worriedly as the minutes passed. She perked up, however, as soon as she saw Sportacus pedaling down to earth on his skychaser. Hovering it right at the front gate, Sportacus leapt off his glider, flipping over the gate and landing a foot away from Stephanie. Stephanie got up excitedly, her smile fading as she saw the tired look in Sportacus’s eyes.  
“Are you feeling any better, Sportacus?” she asked, knowing how obvious the answer was.  
Sportacus gave her a sad smile and an uneasy chuckle. “To be honest, not really.” He admitted.  
Stephanie bit her lip. “I was worried when you weren’t out this morning, and I wrote after Stingy nearly crashed his car into a tree. We were able to help him, he’s fine. But when you didn’t come running, I knew something was wrong.”  
Sportacus’s face paled. “I missed an emergency?” he said quietly.  
“Sportacus, please. What’s going on? You can tell me, I just want to help you!” Stephanie pleaded, gently taking ahold of Sportacus’s wrist. She gave him a reassuring smile. “Please Sportacus, please let me help you.”

He paused. He looked into Stephanie’s eyes, considering his options. Part of him still wanted to deny anything wrong going on in his mind, if only because of how intertwined everything seemed to be with magic. He had tried since day one to shield the children from his magical origins, from the existence of magic in their world. As a young elf, Sportacus had been often warned of sharing too much knowledge of arcane magic with humans, as they were prone to misuse magic in their pursuits of material riches and wicked desires. While he did not fear the children misusing magic, he did fear what consequences may befall them if they were more knowledgeable about the presence of mystical spells and creatures. After all, some magical beings only become dangerous once their presences are known.  
However, Sportacus had always had a feeling about Stephanie, that she was unlike most human girls. She was inquisitive, sometimes to a fault, but could handle more than one may imagine. He had already entrusted her with the care of his crystal on one occasion (a choice that would get him reprimanded in most elven societies), and she was the least likely to fall to personal vices and temptations. Out of all the kids, Stephanie was easily the one who was best to trust with such powerful information.

Sportacus sighed, nodding at Stephanie. “Alright, I’ll tell you what I think is going on. But we need to go somewhere more private. I don’t want everyone hearing what I’m about to tell you.”  
Stephanie gave Sportacus a suspicious look, before slowly agreeing. “Okay, we can go to my room. Uncle is out at town hall, so hopefully no one will disturb us there.”  
Stephanie got up and opened the door, gesturing for Sportacus to follow her inside.

\--

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Sportacus waited as Stephanie gently shut the door behind her. Seeing Sportacus sitting on the floor, Stephanie joined him, looking up to his face.  
“So, what’s going on? Why is this so private?” she asked.  
Sportacus took a deep breath, giving Stephanie a small smile. He slowly began to take his crystal out of its compartment. “You’ve seen my crystal before, right Stephanie?”  
Stephanie nodded with a warm smile. “Of course! I remember the day I held onto it for you, so you could take a vacation.”  
Sportacus chuckled. “That was definitely an interesting day. Well, you remember what it looks like?”  
Stephanie nodded once more. “Yeah, I do. Why?”  
A click and a quiet whir later, and Sportacus held the chest piece with his crystal attached to it in his hand. The crystal was still glowing a dim, indigo color, radiating small waves of blue and purple energy out into the room. Stephanie’s eyes widened as Sportacus gently handed the crystal to her. She turned the piece in her hands, examining the glowing crystal ball. She felt a strange pang of energy in her heart as a wave of light from the ball flowed into her body.  
“Is it supposed to glow this color? I could’ve sworn that the last time I saw it, it wasn’t glowing at all.” She asked.  
Sportacus shook his head. “I’ve never seen my crystal act like this. I believe that someone is influencing the magic inside it.”  
Stephanie’s eyes widened, a twinkle forming in her eyes. “Magic? Did you say, magic?”  
Sportacus chuckled nervously, nodding. “Of course. The whole crystal is powered by the innate magic that flows through the entire earth, and is connected to my own magic capacity.” He frowned, leaning in close to examine his crystal. “Well, it’s supposed to be, anyways.”  
Stephanie looked up at Sportacus, her eyes sparkling with wonder. “So, that means YOU can do magic?”

Sportacus nodded once more. “Yes, and that’s what I need your help with.”  
Stephanie looked surprised. “But how can I help? I’ve never used magic, I didn’t even know it was real until right now!”  
Sportacus gave Stephanie a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “You’ll do great, Stephanie. You won’t need to cast any spells or incantations, I just need you to help me keep focused.” He sighed, crossing his legs into a lotus position. “I discovered last night that someone, or something, had cast a binding spell on me that connects my crystal to something or someone else. I believe it may be the reason for my strange mood swings and for my crystal’s blue glow. I attempted a spell last night that would allow me to track whoever is connected to my crystal, but the strange…music interrupted my incantations.”  
“And you need my help to keep the music from interrupting you? How will I know it’s there?” Stephanie asked.  
Sportacus gave a weak smile. “It seems that the music causes me to cry. If you see tears start fall, just…just give me some reassurance, okay? It seems you’re able to break me out of those weird emotional moments.”

Stephanie nodded, a determined look on her face. “I won’t let you down, Sportacus.”  
“I know you won’t, Stephanie.” Sportacus said warmly. With another deep breath, Sportacus steeled his focus, holding his crystal in his open palms. He whispered the ancient words, the crystal glowing a bright white once again, a thin white trail forming on the ground.

As soon as the spell seemed stable, Sportacus slowly rose to his feet, Stephanie doing the same. He continued to whisper the words of the spell, calmly following the trail out of Stephanie’s room and towards the front door. Stephanie tailed close behind, keeping a close watch on Sportacus’s face.  
The two continued to walk along the glowing white trail, keeping a steady but slow pace. The trail seemed to be leading them out of town. As they hit the edge between the town and the fields surrounding the outskirts, however, Sportacus came to a halt, the familiar piano sound filling his thoughts. He could feel a sense of dread sweep over him, the near familiar sense of heaviness rest in his chest. His mind became foggy and the world almost seemed to quiver as his eyes fixed forward towards the horizon. The sky seemed like it was expanding upwards, or that Sportacus himself was shrinking. Involuntarily, he began to creep backwards, taking one step at a time.  
Stephanie, feeling the worry crawl into her heart, looked up towards Sportacus’s face. Tears were starting to roll down his cheek. She gently grabbed onto Sportacus’s arm brace.  
“Sportacus, it’s okay! You’re okay, I’m here for you.” She said reassuringly.  
Sportacus stopped in his tracks, but tears still fell down his face.  
Biting her lip, Stephanie asked, “What are you feeling right now, Sportacus?”  
Sportacus shuddered, his breath hitching in his throat. “I feel…trapped. I feel so alone. I need to get away…” he muttered.  
Stephanie gave Sportacus a hug. “You’re not alone though! I’m here, and it’s going to be okay. You’re strong! You can get through this.”  
With one last shiver and tear rolling down his face, Sportacus’s attention seemed to refocus, his eyes clearing of tears. He gave a weary, but appreciative smile to Stephanie. “Thanks Stephanie, I’m glad you came along.”  
Stephanie smiled. “What are friends for?” She pointed towards the trail. “We should keep going though, it looks like we’ve got a while to go.”  
Sportacus nodded, clearing the tears from his face. The two continued to follow the glowing white thread.  
  


The trail led Stephanie and Sportacus further and further out of town. Stephanie looked back, seeing her house grow increasingly tinier. She looked back to Sportacus, his eyes locked on the white magical line they were following.  
“So, you mentioned something about a “binding spell”? What exactly does it do?” she asked.  
Sportacus sighed, trying to think of a good way to answer her question. “Well, a binding spell is close to how it sounds. It connects the magical and emotional energy of two beings, or a being and an object, together. It’s not an easy spell to cast, and it takes a lot of energy out of the caster, both to cast the initial spell and to keep it going. Because of that, it’s not a common spell to run into.” He paused as they continued to walk. “The reasons for casting a binding spell are usually incredibly personal. At one point in time they were used as punishments for criminals, who’d be bound to whomever they had hurt with their crimes, that way they could understand the depths of pain they’d inflicted. Nowadays, however, they’re almost never used.”  
Stephanie nodded, taking in the information she’d just heard. After a moment, she proposed another question. “So, who do you think would cast a binding spell on you? Someone from town?”  
Sportacus chuckled, shaking his head. “No one I know in town is capable of casting a binding spell. Humans, you see, generally have low magic abilities, save for a few.  That’s why human warlocks and sorceresses are so rare.”  
Stephanie furrowed her brow. “You’re absolutely sure no one in town could cast this spell?”  
Sportacus shook his head. “Not that I know of.”  
“Not even Robbie?”  
Sportacus stopped, a pink color rising to his cheeks. He thought for a moment, before slowly shaking his head. “I-I don’t think so.”  
Stephanie raised an eyebrow. “But you’re not sure?”  
“I know Robbie does have at least some magic, or at least I’m sure of it. But I just don’t know why he’d cast a binding spell on me. What purpose would it achieve?”  
“Maybe Robbie’s trying to tell you something?” Stephanie suggested.  
Sportacus’s face paled as he thought over the possibility. Ms. Busybody had told him how private a person Robbie was. Perhaps this was how he was expressing his emotions? The binding spell, however, still made no sense. Why, out of anyone, would Robbie bind himself to him? Sportacus’s cheeks grew pink once more, as one potential cause crossed his mind. He shooed it away quickly; while he could be hopeful, it wasn’t helpful right now.  
“There is a chance. After all, no one’s seen him in over a week.” Sportacus responded quietly. He shrugged. “Perhaps this is how he feels comfortable communicating.”  
Stephanie, noticing the pink tint to Sportacus’s cheeks, didn’t say anything. But internally, she was hiding a sly smile.

Sure enough, the trail led straight past the large cow billboard and up into Robbie’s pipe. Sportacus paused a few feet away, crouching down to pick up the glowing thread.  
“It is Robbie! It must be him!” Stephanie stated proudly.  
Sportacus nodded, and began to walk towards the pipe. He stopped once he noticed Stephanie following faithfully behind him.  
He turned and crouched down to Stephanie’s level. “Stephanie, I think it’s best that I go in alone.”  
Stephanie was flustered. “But why? I really want to help, Sportacus! What if Robbie’s in more trouble than it looks?”  
Sportacus rustled her hair, giving her a reassuring look. “If that’s the case, you’ll be the first to know. I’d love for you to join me, but Robbie’s a more private person. He may refuse to talk if both of us visit. If it’ll make you feel better, you can stay out here. Keep an eye out, and I’ll call for you if he needs help. Is that okay?”  
Stephanie nodded slowly, before giving a determined look. “That sounds good. I’ll be ready for whenever you need me!”  
Sportacus chuckled, standing up slowly. He turned back towards the pipe. With his signature move, he flipped over to the entrance, lifting up the hatch. He could hear the piano music in his head again, this time a little louder, but Sportacus did his best to ignore the beautiful and sad sounds in his mind. Grabbing onto the sides, he slid down the ladder and into the underground lair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd post what I've written so far, since it does have enough different from the next chapter. Sorry for the shorter chapter! Hope you guys enjoy! And yeah, this will be three chapters now, since the next one looks like it'll be a bit lengthy.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Diminuendo

His feet hit the ground with a loud, metallic clang. Gritting his teeth, Sportacus looked about, seeing if he disturbed anyone. Much to his surprise, the lair appeared empty. Machines whirred and let random bursts of steam break through the still air. The lights flickered ever slightly, their electric hum creating a subtle din within the metal room. Sportacus sniffed the air, frowning at the scent. He swore that he smelled the sickeningly sweet scent of freshly baked cake and sugary frosting. As he crept forward, he noticed the stray, empty plates that were stacked up on a work bench. Each plate had a thin layer of crusted cake crumbs and smears of purplish white frosting. Robbie had definitely been there lately, but where was he now?

Sportacus’s eyes trailed over another table, seeing many strewn and abandoned sheets of drawing paper, covered in notes and crossed out ideas for plots and schemes. As he walked past, the gentle brush of his hand against one stray sheet sent part of the pile tumbling down, spreading and covering the metal floor. Frantically, Sportacus bent down, scrambling to collect all the stray pieces of paper. Papers flew up and about, crinkling and snapping as they were snatched up by the blue elf. While he was crouched, grabbing the paper, the sight of a missing floorboard caught his eye. After standing up and neatly re-stacking the paper, Sportacus walked towards the opening in the floorboards. The opening was partially obscured by Robbie’s beloved, orange armchair, the sheet of metal that would usually cover it laid abandoned next to the small set of stairs leading to Robbie’s disguise tubes.  
Sportacus gently pushed aside the armchair, looking down into the inky blackness and seeing a set of stairs descending deeper underground. He could hear the distant sounds of a piano rising from the underground.  
Sportacus felt his breath slightly hitch as the distant piano music swirled around his mind, its hold faint but the memory of its effects still lingering strong in his thoughts. Taking a moment, Sportacus recast the trail spell, re-illuminating the binding spell’s thread, watching it spiral down into the darkness, now slightly less encompassing as it had been a second ago. Sportacus bent down and grabbed the glowing thread, uneasily eying the barely illuminated staircase in front of him. With a first, cautious step, Sportacus began his descent down into the darkness of the stairway.

Down he travelled further, gripping the guardrail tightly as he took each careful step. Sportacus found himself pausing a second as he finally walked far enough away from the entrance, the inky blackness starting to encroach upon his only light source. He blinked, his eyes finally adjusting to the lack of light. He shook slightly as he took another step. The air began to feel warm and sticky, the claustrophobic environment growing ever more apparent. Sportacus could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He was never fond of super enclosed spaces, and while the staircase wasn’t exactly enclosed, the darkness and the warm air contributed to the feeling of being trapped.  
Continuing his descent, Sportacus’s ears perked as he took another step, this time eliciting a loud _creak_ from the next step. He lifted his foot, tension growing in his body. Like he was testing the temperature of a pool, Sportacus dipped his foot down, tapping the step with his toe. Another creak. Sportacus realized that the stairs had gone from a metallic style, more in line with the rest of Robbie’s home, to an old, oak material.  
“ _Just how old IS this room?_ ” Sportacus pondered. He carefully stepped down, trying to stifle the creaking sound, gingerly making his way further down the noisy stairs.

As he finally reached the bottom, Sportacus felt his foot make contact with the smooth, cold sensation of rock. The floor of this room was apparently made of stone, only making Sportacus question even further how long the room had been there. He scrunched his nose at the strong, musty smell that lingered in the air. The small, circular room was poorly lit, the only source of light coming from a small skylight that hung overhead. Small particles of dust floated lazily through the room, swirling into mini-twisters and gusts, never resting upon the floor. Sportacus cautiously walked into the room, his eyes fixed upon the small piano that sat right in the middle of the room, its color a faded maple varnish, its sound old and slightly out of tune.  
  
And sitting right at the piano, surrounded by piles of sheet music and used plates, was Robbie, still in his silky pajamas. Sportacus looked down, his eyes following the ever-shortening trail of light, seeing how it ended right at Robbie’s chest. He took the length of thread into his hands, pressing it against his chest in an attempt to douse the light. He walked slowly forward, wondering if Robbie even noticed he was there. Robbie, smoothing his hair for a second, took a deep breath. His hands paused for a moment above the aged, ivory keys, before finally settling down to play once more.  
  
Sportacus was halted by the sound, feeling the intensity of the piece’s emotions. Almost on cue, tears fell down his face. But it was much worse, as he felt the need to choke back a sob. The glowing thread faded away as Sportacus lost his focus. The room was growing increasingly blurry, though Sportacus wasn’t sure if that was from the piano’s music messing with his perception of reality, or just the tears building and flowing from his eyes. The sadness that grew from this piece, while still powerful, also felt more resigned and tired. Sportacus could feel a weariness threatening to take over and leave him too exhausted to do much of anything.  
  
Paralleling his reaction, Sportacus could see Robbie lean forward more into the piano as he continued to play, his head bent down, his fingers missing a few notes as they shook. The more intensely Robbie played, the more Sportacus could feel the misery and loneliness grow within him. He covered his mouth, trying to stifle the sobs and whimpers threatening to escape his throat. Strangely, though, Sportacus soon felt a feeling of distance between him and his surroundings. A thought continued to play in his head: _Nothing will improve, this is my life. It doesn’t matter_. Even though Sportacus knew that these thoughts were prodded forward by the music and the magic bond, he still felt himself grow emotional over the idea. This hopelessness was so foreign to him, he wasn’t sure how to process all of these thoughts.  
Finally, he couldn’t help it. A choked sob escaped his throat, the sound echoing in the small, stone chamber.

The music immediately stopped, and Robbie whipped around, his eyes wide with fear. The fear was quickly replaced, however, with a frustrated annoyance. Robbie furrowed his brow, scowling at elf.  
“Sportaflop? What are you doing in MY home?” he asked annoyedly.  
“Robbie, that was – “Sportacus began to say as he frantically brushed away the tears from his face.  
“You’ve taken to breaking and entering now?” Robbie sneered, about to turn away and focus back on the piano.  
Sportacus, shaking his head, cleared the thoughts from his mind, walking forward another step. “N-No, I mean…I’m sorry, I know I should’ve knocked.”  
Robbie snorted. “Clearly.”  
Sportacus frowned. “But I need to talk to you about something.” He paused, as he finally got a good look at Robbie. His hair was messy and unstyled, with random bits of hair sticking up and out in different directions, a slight curl to the strands.  Deep, dark circles surrounded his eyes, ones that made his eyeballs appear sunken in. His skin was pale white, almost glowing in the concentrated light from the skylight. And unless Sportacus wasn’t remembering right, he seemed more thin than normal, almost like a skeleton. Sportacus could feel his heart drop. “Robbie…have you been sleeping recently?”  
Robbie scoffed, giving a harsh laugh. “Why would you care, Sportadork? I’m not sleeping much worse than usual.”  
Sportacus’s brow furrowed. “Robbie, don’t say things like that. Of course, I care. Please, we can talk.”  
“Well I don’t want to talk. So, go away.” Robbie said bluntly, turning to start to play again.  
Sportacus frowned, giving a quiet, exasperated sigh. “I won’t, Robbie. I’m not going to go away. We need to talk, because of this.” He said. He cast the spell once more, illuminating the trail of thread that connected him and Robbie.  
Robbie looked down at his chest, jumping and yelping as he saw the glowing thread that grew from his torso. Steadying himself and catching his breath, he turned back to Sportacus, seeing the other end of the thread stopping at Sportacus’s crystal device.  
“What. Is. That.” Robbie said with a confused and angered expression, his patience already wearing thin.  
Sportacus looked shocked. “You don’t know what this is?”  
Robbie rolled his eyes. “No, I know what it is. That’s why I’d ask a stupid question like, “what is it”.” 

Sportacus sighed. “It’s a binding spell, one that has been connecting our energies for the last day or so.” He paused, allowing Robbie to let that sentence sink in. “I had thought you might’ve…cast the binding spell. I don’t know why, but since no one else in town can use magic…”  
“Why. In the world. Would I cast a spell like that.” Robbie said firmly. He shot a glare at Sportacus. “Especially, on YOU.”  
Sportacus felt hurt, the anger in Robbie’s eyes piercing him like a dagger. “I-I don’t know! I thought, maybe, this was how you were wanting to communicate. That this was how you were trying to tell me you weren’t feeling well.”  
Robbie’s cheeks flushed a faint pink. He growled, “You must take me for some sort of fool, Sportakook, if you really think I’d cast a weird emotions spell on you, just to get some attention. You must think I’m pretty pathetic.”  
Sportacus took a deep breath, stepping uneasily towards Robbie. Robbie shrunk back as the distance shrunk between them. “Robbie, please. I’ll be honest, I’ve been feeling concerned about you. You haven’t been seen in days. Everyone…I was getting worried. I thought maybe if I gave you some space, that might help. But you’re still here. And if this binding spell tells me anything, then you’ve been hurting A LOT the last day or so.”  
Robbie paused. “You think you’ve been feeling what I’ve been feeling?” he asked quietly.  
Sportacus nodded slowly. “I just remember feeling intense sadness, loneliness, and hopelessness. I felt like nothing would get better, and it was my fault. And it always followed the sound of your piano playing.” He said, gesturing to Robbie’s piano. He walked more towards Robbie. “Robbie, I know how you’re feeling. Please, I understand now. Let me help you, we can talk. Please.”

“You really think you know how I feel?” Robbie asked, turning away from Sportacus. He twiddled his fingers above the keyboard. Gritting his teeth, he growled, “You don’t know the HALF of it.”  
Slamming his hands down onto the keys, Robbie struck a loud and aggressive chord, one in some part of the minor range. The borderline discordant sound shot through Sportacus’s head, a crackle of magic and energy throwing him off his feet, sending him sprawling to the floor, an intense pain rippling through his body. Sportacus groaned, clutching the sides of his head. The feeling was like the most intense headache one could imagine. He felt like he’d been knocked upside the head.  
“You honestly think you understand me, after spending only a day with my emotions?! With my thoughts?!” Robbie snarled. “You’ve really got some nerve, Sportajerk.” He threw his body weight into another harsh and aggressive chord.  
Sportacus cried out, the sound rattling his brain and punching him in the gut. He could feel each ounce of hurt and anger, but it didn’t force him into a rage. Instead, it only attacked him, perhaps because the anger was now directed _at him_. He forced his eyes open, seeing the ceiling start to waver and tilt. He forced himself up to a sitting position, before finally getting himself back on his feet, grunting in pain as he did.  
“Take what you felt for one day, now multiply it by every day I’ve been alive. Each moment I’m awake, multiply it by that too.” Robbie muttered. His hands crashed down, another loud and piercing chord rang through the room. Sportacus tried to resist against the painful thrashing the music was giving him, pushing against the sound and gritting his teeth as he walked back towards Robbie.  
“Then take the knowledge that NO ONE in town would care if you disappeared, the fact their lives would be better without you. That you literally give NOTHING of worth back. Add that to what you have.” Robbie hissed, his eyes still focused on the piano.  
“Robbie, please – “Sportacus begged softly, his hand feeling the growing bruise on his chest.  
Robbie slammed his hands down again. Sportacus doubled over in pain, biting back another cry of pain. He could feel his body tremble, his pain receptors stressed beyond usual capacity. He had to get Robbie to stop and calm down, otherwise he might kill him.  
“Now add one jerk that makes you feel like you might be worth something, someone that seems to care, but make him the town hero. Make him your natural adversary who would have absolutely NO reason to care, no reason to want to help you. Make the one person you kind of like be…” Robbie paused, tears welling up in his eyes. He shuddered, his hands still hovering over the piano. “…someone who’s greater than you, and deserves more than what you can give. Someone who’d want nothing to do with a worthless person like you.” His hands dropped down into his lap as he sighed in a resigned fashion. “Then you MIGHT know what I feel, and understand it.” His head slowly drooped, a few small tears falling and staining his pajama bottoms.

Sportacus, frantically trying to catch his breath and hold back the feeling of pain, looked up towards Robbie. Sportacus’s face turned red as a rose as he processed everything Robbie had said.  
His eyes watered as he finally spoke. “Robbie, please…I do care about you.”  
Robbie froze, his hands beginning to crawl towards the keys. “Stop.” He said in a near whisper.  
“You may not believe me, but I want to help you. You don’t deserve to feel this way.” Sportacus insisted, fighting to get himself back onto his feet.  
“I said, STOP.” Robbie said firmly, his body shaking.  
“Please Robbie, you are a good person! You deserve to have people who care about you, who want you to succeed. I want to be that kind of person for you. You just have to let me. Please, Robbie!” Sportacus pleaded.  
“Why…won’t you listen?” Robbie said shakily. With hands trembling, he took a deep breath. “I SAID, STOP.” Closing his eyes, Robbie struck another booming chord, resulting in Sportacus being thrown back. Sportacus cried out in shock and pain, his back hitting the hard, cold stone floor, vision blacking for a second as he could see near literal stars in his sight.  
 “Why do you keep toying with me like this? Didn’t you hear me?? I’M NOT WORTH IT!”  Robbie cried.  
Another chord, Sportacus gasped as another rush of pain flew to his head and chest, pinning him back against the ground.  
“You’re wasting your time, I’m a bad person and that’s it! I don’t deserve people who care about me, I’ve done nothing good AT ALL with my life!” Robbie said more hysterically.  
Chord, Sportacus felt another punch to the gut. His body trembled terribly as he scrambled to his feet, stumbling back to his knees after one second of standing upright.  
 “So, stop teasing me, stop trying. And for your sake, STAY.”  
A slammed chord, Sportacus was flung further back. He still tried to move towards Robbie. “AWAY.”  
A harsh note, Sportacus cried out, feeling something get pushed out of place.  
 “FROM ME.”  
 One final, gigantic chord, Robbie throwing his all into his rage-filled, destructive finale. 

Sportacus took the last chord like he was hit by a train. His ears rung loudly, and his mind was swimming from the beating it took. He tried to stand up straight, tried to walk over to Robbie once again. But his vision was rocking back and forth, tunneling. His head felt like it was full of TV snow, a dazed look appearing on his face as he finally stopped trying to fight through the mental haze. He collapsed onto his hands and knees, barely managing to stop himself from falling on his face. Trembling, Sportacus breathed heavily, his crystal buzzing and beeping in alarm. He felt something warm drip down his face. His hand touched the area around his nose, pulling back to reveal the drops of warm, red blood. He shuddered, still fighting the losing fight to keep his consciousness.

Robbie, meanwhile, slowly stood up from the piano bench. The silence that filled the room after such a passionate and angry piece left Robbie feeling empty and cold. He shivered, his composure melting away as he began to sob. Sportacus, feeling the sadness emanating from Robbie, found tears pouring down his face as well, his trembling worsening. Robbie buried his face into his hands, sobbing openly and loudly. As he cried, he lifted his head for just a second, sniffling as he tried to clear the tears from his face. His eyes glanced over to Sportacus, darting back as Robbie caught a glimpse of a bright, crimson color. Once he’d turned to face Sportacus, his face went white as a sheet.  
“S-Sportacus!” he gasped, running over to the fallen elf. He gently lifted Sportacus into a sitting position, taking a handkerchief from his pocket to dab the blood away from Sportacus’s nose. He felt mortified as he looked at Sportacus’s face, tired and smeared with tears and blood, his focus hazy and distant.  
Robbie pulled Sportacus into a hug, loosening as he heard a pained grunt from Sportacus. “I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” Robbie said tearfully, his hand awkwardly but gently smoothing Sportacus’s back. “…I messed up again, and I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you…”  
Sportacus, at first, didn’t answer. His mind was still reeling from the multiple inflicted attacks to his mental and physical states. Robbie’s words were floating around him, being processed one at a time.  
Robbie held back more tears, fearing that he’d hurt Sportacus more than he imagined. He continued to smooth Sportacus’s back, wishing he had a way to relieve the pain Sportacus must’ve been feeling in that moment.  
Sportacus, blinking as he finally collected himself enough, pulled away from Robbie’s hug. He looked the man in the eyes. “Robbie, I…I should be the one apologizing. I really don’t understand just how much pain you’ve been feeling all these years.  I never imagined it would be so much. I shouldn’t have tried to say that I knew what you’re going through. I’m sorry.” He said quietly, coughing and wincing at the pain in his chest.

Robbie shook his head, cautiously wiping some tears from Sportacus’s face. “No, I’m the one who hurt you! There’s no excuse for that. I-I shouldn’t have gotten so angry, you were just trying to help.” He said, his voice quivering slightly.  
Sportacus looked back at Robbie, his eyes still glistening with tears. “Robbie, why didn’t you ever tell me? Why did you never tell me you were hurting this badly?”  
Robbie paused, finally giving Sportacus a sad laugh. “Because I figured no one would care.” He looked away, his face growing sadder. “I’m the town villain, Sportakook. I’m the bad guy. I’m not supposed to be liked, so I felt it was…stupid to feel so hurt about how little people like me. I didn’t want to say anything because I know I brought it upon myself and that that’s how I’m supposed to handle all this.” He took in a breath. “Alone. That’s partly why I play the piano, it helps me deal with how I feel.”  
Gently, Sportacus turned Robbie’s face back towards him. He gave him a sad, but warm look. “Robbie, it doesn’t matter what or who you are. Every person deserves to have people who care about them.” He smiled weakly. “You ARE worthwhile and important. You’re NOT a bad person. In fact, I know you aren’t. And you haven’t given nothing to the town. You’ve given them so much. I don’t think their lives were nearly as interesting before you started your games and tricks. The kids may be scared in the moment, but in the end, they leave with fond memories and good times.” He took a breath, exhaling. “You don’t have to go through this alone, it’s okay to tell people when you aren’t feeling well, when you need help. That’s why I’m here, I wanted to help you.”

Robbie, in that moment, felt a warmth grow in his heart. It filled him with the same feelings one gets from wrapping up in a fuzzy blanket after a cold day, or being cuddled by a loved one. The colors in the lair grew brighter for a split second, his worries and stresses fading and weakening for a moment. He gasped, feeling the sensation fill his head, causing him to blush profusely. He tried to hide his blushing.  
“Heh, well, you’re in for a ride Sportadork, because I’m not used to this. At all. You’ll get tired of me within a week.” He said with a self-deprecating laugh.  
Sportacus chuckled softly, wary of the pain in his chest. “I most definitely won’t get tired of you.” He said warmly.  
Another rush of warmth and giddiness filled Robbie’s heart. Confused at first, Robbie suddenly wondered about the binding spell. If maybe it was possible that, since Sportacus could feel the thoughts and emotions Robbie went through, that Robbie could feel the emotions and thoughts that Sportacus was feeling. His blush darkened as he thought of the potential reasons for that giddy and cozy sensation.  
“W-Well, we’ll see about that. You say that now, but you never know…” Robbie started.  
Sportacus interrupted him by placing a hand on his arm. “Robbie, I promise. I will never get tired of you, because I care about you. I want you to be happy and feel as great as you are, because that’s what you really deserve.” He leaned in a little closer. “And I mean all of that.”  
Robbie was becoming aware of just how flustered he was becoming. Butterflies bounced and flew around his stomach, and he could feel the intense warm and comfort he received from Sportacus’s words. He felt a tear well up in his eye, one of happiness and joy, not of sadness. Unsure of what to say, Robbie quickly stood up straight, walking back to the piano in a hasty fashion.  
Sportacus raised an eyebrow. “Robbie? Is everything okay?” he asked worriedly.  
“To be honest, Sportacus, I’m not always the best with words.” Robbie frantically explained. He cleared his throat, trying to mask just how red his face had become. He gave Sportacus a sly smile. “But I do know how to play.” He said softly.

Cracking his fingers, Robbie’s hands hovered over the keys, before slowly lowering and playing a gentle melody. Suddenly, Sportacus felt his heart lift. He blinked, seeing the room seemingly take on a soft focus and glow, the music flowing around his mind and body, soothing and filling him with the fuzziest of emotions. It felt like he was floating, and his mind seemed to be tricking him into believing he _was_ flying. He felt a rush of energy and emotions, and when he looked around the room he could see the streams of magic embrace him, making him forget about the soreness in his body. He sighed contently, his heart beating rapidly, yet not in a panicked fashion. He felt a drunken haze cloud his mind, leaving him giddy and giggling. Butterflies fluttered and danced in his stomach, and he felt simultaneously relaxed yet energized. He felt the compulsion to dance, sing, or just shout out how he felt in that moment. And as the music’s volume wound down, Sportacus could feel his body slowly drift back to earth, the world around him settling back to normalcy.  
Robbie gently let go of the last notes, before turning to give a warm half-smile to Sportacus. Sportacus, his mind still spinning from the wave of warmth and giddiness that had enveloped him, could only give Robbie a dazed look in response.  
“I hope that makes a bit of sense.” Robbie said nervously.  
Sportacus took a moment to respond. He felt the butterflies still flying in his chest and stomach, the high of the music still fresh in his mind. He gave a silly half smile before walking over to Robbie, nearly tripping on his own feet. Without a moment of hesitation, Sportacus planted a kiss on Robbie’s cheek.  
Robbie’s mind went blank, feeling the gentleness of Sportacus’s kiss against his face. He could feel the residual giddiness flow through him as well, eliciting an almost-drunken giggle from him. His eyes went wide, and he covered his mouth in embarrassment.  
  
Sportacus only laughed, taking a seat next to Robbie. He gently removed Robbie’s hand from his mouth.  
Robbie darted his eyes away from Sportacus. Despite expressing his true feelings through the song, he still felt a little confliction from his feelings for Sportacus.  
“It’s okay, Robbie. You don’t have to be nervous.” He reassured Robbie.  
Sportacus gently laid his hand over Robbie’s, Robbie lacing his fingers between Sportacus’s. The connection gave Robbie a sort of appeasement, his nervousness fading as he finally looked up and into Sportacus’s eyes. He felt himself drawn closer to the elf, a near magnetic connection pulling him close. As they both closed their eyes, their lips finally met, connecting in an innocent and gentle kiss.  
All the leftover stress and tension in Robbie’s body melted in that moment, his mind swimming with absolute peace and excitement. He could feel his ears burn slightly from the remnants of his blushing, his thoughts growing bubbly and giddy. He hadn’t felt the amount of joy and excitement he felt in that moment for so long, he’d almost forgotten how it felt.  
Their attention only faltered for a moment, as a glowing white light caught their eyes. The binding thread, glowing bright like a supernova, had appeared before them, still connecting them to each other. The thread then dimmed, fading away in a spray of sparks and glitter, the twinkling dust swirling up and through the skylight.

Sportacus sat back, removing his crystal from its holder. It no longer glowed a bright indigo color, but was back to its normal, clear state.  
“The spell’s been broken.” Sportacus said breathlessly.  
Robbie gave a look to the crystal. “The question’s still out there though: who cast a binding spell on us?”  
Sportacus thought for a moment, before his thinking was interrupted by the crystal giving a happy hum. He smiled. “I have a hunch, but that’s not important right now.”  
Sportacus stopped, his gaze suddenly growing distant.  
Robbie froze. “Sportacus? Are you okay?”  
Then Sportacus let a large yawn escape him, accompanied with a slight wince at the pain still emanating from his chest.  
Robbie chuckled. “You about to become Sportasnore?” he asked teasingly, after checking to make sure Sportacus wasn’t in too much pain.  
Sportacus tiredly laughed. “I didn’t sleep at all last night.”  
Robbie snorted and rolled his eyes jokingly. “Amateur. I haven’t slept in a WEEK.”  
Sportacus only smiled wearily, leaning against Robbie’s shoulder. “That’s not good for you…” he mumbled.  
Robbie sighed, before leaning over and giving Sportacus a kiss on the top of the head. The two sat there for a minute, the silence broken by Robbie leaning forward and playing a gentle, soothing song. Sportacus’s eyes, half open, watched Robbie’s fingers intently.  
“It makes me so sleepy.” He yawned, feeling himself start to drift off.  
Robbie laughed. “I thought you said the spell was broken, you dork.”  
Sportacus didn’t respond. Robbie looked over and saw him sleeping peacefully, nestled up next to his shoulder. Robbie sighed. Now he was stuck there until Sportacus woke up. Keeping the melody going with his right hand, Robbie carefully reached with his left hand towards Sportacus’s chest. Whispering a few choice, ancient words, Robbie sent a healing charm through Sportacus’s body, his fingertips glowing with a dull, violet color. Once he’d seen the ripple of violet magic course over Sportacus’s sleeping form, Robbie pulled his hand away. Sportacus, partly relieved of the aching pain in his body, sighed contently and curled up closer to Robbie.

Robbie gave a warm smile, before turning back to the piano.  
“ _Oh well. This isn’t the worst way this day could’ve ended_.” He thought to himself. He continued to play the little lullaby, feeling at ease as he listened to the sound of the lone piano, feeling the warm comfort of Sportacus sleeping against him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And most likely after some time, Stephanie would get bored and head home. XD
> 
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the conclusion to this story! Hopefully it didn't get too sappy or too intense, I kind of got caught up in the emotional aspect haha.
> 
> Thank you all for reading! I will hopefully begin work on another story soon (unless things get busy which they may) and hopefully you guys will enjoy that one too! Thanks again for reading!


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